Superman, the NEA, and More Good Reads
Check out these three worthwhile reads:
"NEA too big for its britches". Don't mess with Superman, or the NEA, at Politico.com.
"Schools grapple with rising fuel costs" at EdWeek. Energy prices are an education issue.
"Presidential hopefuls differ on K-12 spending" at EdWeek. The biggest education difference between Obama and McCain is clear.
Comments
The NEA article several times referred to a leftward drift. I am not so certain that the NEA has drifted anywhere--and this may be contibuting to some of its newfound "irrelevance." Knee jerk resistence to public education funding for anything but public schools isn't drift, and it may be becoming a rut.
To cast opposition to the concept of widely available quality education for all students--with particular emphasis on traditionally underserved groups (low-income, minority, those with disabilities) is not a "liberal" or "left" idea, as witnessed by some of the groups on the left that are supportive. I would say that NEA is more likely undergoing (or about to undergo) a crisis of conscience. In the past, it was able to further its aims (which, as a union, legitimately have to do with salary and working conditions for teachers) by linking them to public concern for education. As the public concerns for education get more specific in expecting an outcome, and an equitable outcome, the NEA is going to have to decide if this continues to be a banner that they can wave.
Posted by: Margo/Mom | July 10, 2008 12:33 PM